Don't buy, swap or manufacture links to manipulate rankings
| Impact | Evidence | Applies to | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Official guidance | Google, Bing | Oct 30, 2026 |
Why it matters
Google defines link spam as creating links to or from a site primarily to manipulate rankings, and it runs regular spam updates; there were four in 2026 through September. Expired domain abuse, buying old domains to exploit their history, is a separate policy. Penalties range from links being ignored to manual actions.
How to do it
- Stop paid link placements that aren't marked sponsored
- Avoid link exchanges, private blog networks and expired-domain redirects
- Invest in assets people link to on their own: data, tools, documentation
Sources
- Spam policies for Google web search · Google Search Central, Aug 28, 2026
- Google Search Status Dashboard: ranking updates · Google
Change history
| Date | Change | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2026 | Added | Added to the rulebook. |
Checked against its sources every Monday. Only content changes are listed.